[sum.mons] n, pl sum.mons.es [ME somouns, fr. OF somonse, fr. pp. of somondre] (13c) 1: the act of summoning; esp: a call by authority to appear at a place named or to attend to a duty
2: a warning or citation to appear in court: as a: a written notification to be served on a person as a warning to appear in court at a day specified to answer to the plaintiff b: a subpoena to appear as a witness
3: something (as a call) that summons
[2]summons vt (1683): summon
2.